Ilia Topuria took on Damon Jackson in the second fight on the preliminary card at UFC Vegas 16. The card was an extremely stacked one with some interesting fights. However, three fights were scrapped from the card earlier today due to the virus.
Topuria took on ‘The Leech’ in a featherweight bout. Both men are currently unranked in the division and a win tonight will certainly help Topuria as he aims to secure a rank in the top 15 at 145 pounds. This was only the second fight in the promotion for the young Spaniard.
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Ilia Topuria sends a message to the featherweight division
Topuria has been training at MMA Masters in Miami, which also boasts fellow prospect, Miguel Baeza. The fighters represent a pair of tremendous up-and-coming fighters for head coach Daniel Valverde.
Ilia Topuria put Damon Jackson out COLD after some nasty body work 🥶 #UFCVegas16 pic.twitter.com/Hj9lMaZy27
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 6, 2020
The Spaniard started the fight off extremely well. He was in control from the very first bell and displayed some excellent boxing techniques over the duration of the fight.
Ilia could land 31 total strikes with an accuracy of 48%. He also landed 31 significant strikes with an accuracy of 49%.
The finishing sequence saw him land a perfectly placed uppercut along with a ripping left hand to the body. He then dodged a straight left hand from Jackson to land a left hand of his own before following it up with an overhand right that knocked ‘The Leech’ down. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight before Jackson absorbed any more damage.
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An impressive performance by Ilia Topuria earned a #supernecessary stamp of approval from the ‘BMF’ himself who tweeted, “That’s my #frm bro with the nasty combo #supernecessary”
That’s my #frm bro with the nasty combo #supernecessary https://t.co/1No88gpQHK
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) December 6, 2020
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Topuria made his UFC debut in October this year with a unanimous decision win over Youssef Zalal. He could not have asked for a better start to the UFC, as he is currently 2-0 and looking promising. He is currently 10-0 with 8 first-round finishes. Topuria is only 23 and has an extremely bright future ahead of him if he can keep up the quality of performances displayed thus far.
What did you make of Ilia Topuria’s knockout? Let us know in the comments below.
